A rack is a cabinet used for mounting multiple electronic devices. Often called “server racks”, the racks house multiple server computers or blades, but can also include other electronic devices such as switches, storage, routers, telecommunication hardware, power supplies, cable managers, patch panels, etc. The racks are useful to organize the electronic devices and include vertical mounting rails and supporting framework made of steel or aluminum into which the electronic devices slide. The electronic devices that slide into the rack and that are mounted therein are called rack components. The racks are typically used in data centers and allow administrators to store, power, cool and manage the electronic devices in an efficient manner.
Rack purchases can be made from manufacturers, such as Original Design Manufacturers (ODM) or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). At least in the case of ODMs, the entire rack can include the electronic devices already assembled and ready to ship to the data center. However, shipment to the data center can result in the rack being sent through multiple distribution hubs wherein security levels are unknown. A malicious actor can add, remove, or modify the electronic devices or components (e.g., chips) within those electronic devices as the rack moves from the manufacturer to the data center.
Therefore, it can be desirable to provide an automated check whether the rack configuration is authentic and has not been tampered with during the shipment, storage, and deployment within a data center. Additionally, it can be desirable to periodically re-check to ensure the rack remains in a known configuration.